Objective
- Study an example of double displacement reaction
Materials required:
- Ammonium chloride
- Nessler’s reagent K2[HgI4]
- blue litmus paper
- laboratory stand with clamp
- burner
- funnel
Procedure:
- Take about 5g of ammonium chloride in a test tube
- Heat the test tube and observe the vapours forming
- Bring a strip of filter paper dipped in Nessler’s reagent K2 [HgI4] near the tip of test tube. Observe the change in the colour of the filter paper
- Bring a wet blue litmus paper near the tip of the test tube. Observe the change in its colour
Findings:
- Litmus Test - Blue litmus turns red (confirms HCl gas)
- Nessler's reagent test - Filter paper turns yellow (confirms ammonia)
Conclusions:
- On heating ammonium chloride, ammonia and HCl gas are produced
Theory:
-
Ammonium chloride on heating in an open container is decomposed into hydrogen chloride and produces ammonia gas. This is an example of decomposition reaction:
NH4Cl(s) --> NH3 (g) + HCl (g)
